Jill Cataldo: Rebate tales make you wary

SuperCouponingJill Cataldo

March 10, 2013 12:01 AM

SuperCouponingJill Cataldo

March 10, 2013 12:01 AM

Readers continue to weigh in on the pitfalls of mail-in rebates. Here's a sample:

Dear Jill: I feel like companies make rebate rules hard to follow so fewer people try to redeem them. I recently learned that they can change the rules on the fly, too. I bought a bottle of wine at the store, and there was a printout form to send in for a $3 rebate. The form printed at the register and I filled it out. After I sent it in, I got a postcard that said I didn't send in the receipt. I didn't send in a receipt because the form didn't say I had to. I called the wine manufacturer and they said they changed the rebate requirements after the offer began. How can they do this when nobody with the original rebate form would know they had to send a receipt? -- Susanna

Dear Jill: I opened the newspaper and there was a deal on first-aid ointment. It was a free mail-in rebate, and you had to print the rebate form online. But when I went online, the website said the rebate forms were gone already, even though it was 9 a.m. on Sunday. I was pretty ticked. -- Joe

I'm generally wary of rebates. Not long ago, I sent in a rebate for a free six-pack of a juice beverage. The rebate was attached to the product packaging, and I sent in the form and receipt. About a month later, I received a postcard that stated my rebate was disqualified for being mailed after the deadline date. I know it was mailed on time, but how can I prove that?

As a result, I've become extremely selective about the rebates I send in, as well as what products I'll buy in the future.